Could be a long hot summer in N.Y.C.

[HIVOLTS]

Union Workers Locked Out After Con Ed Negotiations Fail
By FINN COHEN
Contract negotiations that stretched early into Sunday morning between Consolidated Edison and its largest union have come to an abrupt halt, according to a union representative.
“Con Ed locked out members at 2 am,” said John Melia, a spokesman for Local 1-2 of the Utility Workers Union of America.
A collective bargaining agreement between the company and the union, which has some 8,500 Con Ed workers, expired at midnight on Saturday. At that point, Mr. Melia said, the union expressed a willingness to continue negotiations and work while a new contract was discussed.
“The union requested dates to resume negotiations from Con Ed, and Con Ed informed the union negotiators shortly before 1:30 this morning that they had decided to lock out the members of 1-2,” Mr. Melia said.
A spokesman for Con Ed could not be reached for comment early Sunday morning.
The disagreement over a new contract centers on the kind of pension plan sought by the company. The workers currently have a traditional plan, which pays a defined monthly benefit upon retirement. The company wants to shift to what is known as a cash balance plan, which tends to yield lower benefits to older workers. Managers hired over the last 10 years or so have a cash balance plan.
The union has suggested that the utility might not be able to keep electricity flowing to its 3.2 million customers in New York City and Westchester County without its members. Con Ed officials, however, said that the utility had prepared its managers to step in and operate the power grid and make repairs.
Asked whether there was any indication from the company’s part about when negotiations would resume, Mr. Melia said, “None whatsoever. They stood up and kicked us out.”

[bluestreak]

Well written post the eight or ten news articles or T V stories that I've seen said they were "laid off" big difference in terminology. I guess it shows that having a good P R staff can certainly change the perception for a lot of people. It's to bad they can't take some of that money spent on P R and B S to pay a decent package for people that give their working life for a trade and a company.

[Pootnaigle]

Ummmmmmmmm this will probably wind up with the NLRB as not negotiating in good faith, and while they are slow as molasses I have little doubt they will be ordered back to the table.
8500 worker bees and 5000 management ?????????? sounds mitey top heavy to me. Thats a manager for every 1.7 workers.Of that 5000 I suspect at least half havent gotten their hands dirty in a decade and Sweating will be a brand new experience.And when it is over those at the top levels will surely give themselves a huge bonus. Probably enough to fund most of what the union was asking for in the first place.

[reppy007]

Managers stepping in and actually doing the work a lineman should be doing,now that kind of funny....who will manage the managers that are doing the work.....it may last..but not for too long.